Planting mechanism.



C. E. WHITE.

PLAN'TBNG MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 2|. m4.

Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

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specification or Letters Patent.

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Patented Dec. 3, rare.

Application filedoctober 21. 1914.. Serial No. $67,838.

To all whom it may concern.

-Be it known that l[, Crmmuns lE. WHITE, a

.citizen of the United States, residing at Moline, in the county of Rock Island and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Planting Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the ac-' companying drawing.

This mvention relates to improvements in corn planters of theclass in which each is provided with a seeding mechanism having a delivery device which includes,-as one of its elements a rotatable seed plate having" cells each adaptedto receive a single kernel only.

The object of the invention is to provide I an improved means whereby the planting mechanism can, at will, be. made adapted for-the planting of different sorts of. seeds varying in size and shape.

Of the accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment of the invention Figure 1 is a vertlcal sectional view taken along the line 11 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the mechanism with the hopper removed, and with the cut-E and knock-out housing removed and the position occupied by the housing when in use indicated by broken lines.

' Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views of one of the seed plates adapted for the planting of ordinary' corn.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the which supports the seed plate.

. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to" Fig. l and showing another form of seed plate and a supplemental filler ring.

shown in Fig. 6.

Figs. 7 8 and 9 are views showing ent forms of seed plates of. th aracter Fig. 10 is aplan View partly in section andshowin in detail the filler ring adapted for use wit the seed plates shown in Figs. 7,.8and9r i The front frame of the planter comprises transverse .bars' of which one is shown at 8. Secured to these transverse bars are castings of which one is shown at 17. 12 is a rock shaft adapted to be actuated by a check wire' "in'the usual way.

Mounted on the upper parts of the run-- plate o r-ring differ,

rating mechanisms, of which but one is shown. Bolted to thecasting 17 is a base plate 18. The plate is formed with a central circular recessed boss 19 which serves to support a drive or gear ring 20. The ring is provided on its lower side with bevel gear teeth adapted to mesh with the teeth of a bevel pinion 2] on a transverse seeder shaft 22 having a bearing at each end in the base plate 18. The gear ring is held inplace by a ca plate 23, bolted to the base plate 18. Upon t e upper face" of the gear rlng is. a clrcular series of upwardly projecting teeth 24 for a purpose to be described.

26 indicates a ring late, hinged to the basecastingat 25. It ies immediately below the seed plate, to be described, and furnishes the bottom or lower closure for the seed cells. Tt has a large central circular opening of a diameter suflicient to permit the seed-plate-driving parts to freely rotate. It

is invertible, and on one of its horizontal faces it has'a ring groove or'continuous depression 26. Its other horizontal face is continuous or ungrooved. Groove 26 is concentric. with the cells formed in the seeder plate and lies at a distance, radially, equal to the radial distance of the cells from the center. When the ring plate 26 is Y laced with the grooved side upward, the ce ls are relatively deeper and can receive kernels of the wider sort. When it is inverted, its flat or ungrooved surface lies below the cells, and

thereis a lock of the common sort, formed ofa bblt 29, pivoted to base 18, and a slotted lug at 28.

30 represents the hopper box or can, with cover 31. 32 is the seed plate supported on ring plate 26, andhaving its lower peripheral part adjacent to the inner. surface of hopper bottom ring 27 It is provided with downward projecting lugs 33 which engage- .With teeth 24 on gear ring 20. It has an upper part 34 with a horizontal cross bar, an outward and downward sloping part 36, and a bottom horizontal part 35, all cast in one integral piece of metal. The seed cells are indicated by 37 these being recesses in the periphery of the bottom part 35 with their outer sides open. The inner walls 39 are approximately parallel with. the outermost circle of the plate. Each cell is intended to receive and hold a single kernel of corn with its wider faces on flat surfaces verticlal, and with its longitudinal axis horizonta At the center of the hopper'bottom there.

plate 45', carried by suitable bridges is a ca 43 and 44, east integral therewith. It is dome shaped, with a flat curvature, and the .kernels readily slip thereon gradually, outward and downward. The outer edge of this cap registers, approximately, with the top clrcular edge of the'inclined or tapering part 36 of the seed plate.

The latter is centered by means of the cap 45, it having loose engagement therewith, of such nature that it is prevented from crowding in any direction, radially, toward the surroundin ring part of the hopper bottom ring 27. T is centering is obtained by companion parts which loosely interengage and permit the seed plate to be separated from the cap and removed without requiring. the detaching of bolts or any other fixed devices.

a The means shown for this are an open bottom boss or flange 46 (cast integral with.

the underside of the cap and a: hollow pin, stud or lug 47 cast with the plate 32, the latter fitting snugly in the boss 46, though detachable, as aforesaid, therefrom.

The base plate 18 and the maincasting .17

are provided with alined vertical openings- 48, 49. In the retaining plate 26. there'is also formed .an opening or notch which registers with the openings 48, 49. Mounted at the lower end of the opening 49 isa valve 49 connected to be opened and shut as'the rock shaft 12 is oscillated.

As the seed plate is rotated, the seed cells are brought over .these openings and the seeds pass downward through them.

For positively ejecting the seeds from the cells I provide a knock-out device having a roller 51,mounted .on an arm 52, which is supported-by trunnions 53 resting in notches or recesses in the hopper bottom plate 27.

The roller is adapted. to reciprocate and partly enter the cells as. they pass and to force the seeds downward. .In order to preventmore than a single seed from entering one cell and being carried to the point of discharge, I provide a cut-off 54, which is supported on trunnions 55 resting in recesses' in the hopper bottom plate. A sprin 56 engages the knock-out and the cut-o and serves to hold each of them in its lowermost position. cured to the cap plate45 by bolt 57 and is so "formed that its bottom lateral edges overlie the ends of the trunnions 53 and 54 of the knock-out and cut-ofi' devices, which are protected by the casing, as indicated at A cap or housing 57 is se--' 57 in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, so as to hold the same in their seats in the cap plate. I

The seed plate 32 is intended to be used for. ordinary corn and it is relatively thick at its periphery, the thickness corresponding approximately to-the width of the corn kernels. It frequently happens that the farmer desires to use his planter not only for planting ordinary corn but also for planting other seeds, such, for instance, as broom corn or peas. And it is also sometimes desirable even when planting ordinary corn to select the seeds so that they lie flatwise instead of edgewise as is usually preparts, just as in the case of the plate 32; but in the case of plate 58 the peripheral part is made thinner'than the correspondlng part of the plate 32, its thickness being approximately that of a kernel 'of corn, and is formed with a circumferential series of cells each of which is adapted to receive flatwise a single kernel only with its longest dimen-- sion circumferentially disposed. The inner side or edge wall ofeach cell is disposed adj acent the bottom of the inclined part of the plate, that is to say, in such a manner that the kernels pressed against the inclined part, are guided thereby into the cells.

ith the cells arranged as described, it will be seen that the distance from the inclined par't outward to the surropnding stationary wall of the ring 27, is less than the lengt of the kernels so that any kernels which tend to bridge lengthwise across from the inclined part of the moving seed late to the'stationary ring 27 are turned am caused to slide down the incline toward the zone of the seed cells.

The plate 59, shown in Fig. 8, isintended v for use with peas, the plate being in the main like the plate 58 but having its peripher'al part formed with a series of cells 59, each shaped to receive a single spheroidalseed such as a pea. The plate 60 shown in Fig. 9 has its seed cells 60 shaped to receive, singly, smaller spheroidal seeds or kernels such as those of broom corn.

When one of the thinner plates shown in Fi 7, 8 and 9 is used, use is also made of a ller plate 61 shown in detail in Fig, 10. This is placeddirectlyupon the ring plate 26' and is provided, with an opening at 62 adapted to register with the openings-50,

48 and 49 in the castings 26, 18 and 17 respectively. The plate 61 has outward pro- Laemaet jecting lugs 63, 63 adapted to engage with" the walls of the casting 27 to prevent the any. one of three vertical dimensions. With the arrangement ot' parts. shown in Fig. 1 relatively wide: corn kernels can be planted 'edgewise. When narrow kernels are to be plantedthe plate 26 can be inverted and the vertical heightof the cells reduced. When still narrower seeds-are to be planted,

. such as peas or broom corn, or when flatwise'.

separation of maize is desired, the supple-- mental filler plate can be inserted and one of the thinner lates used. And it will be 0 further observe that the supplemental filler plate can be put in place at any timeirregroove spective of the position in which the'plate 26 may be. lln other words it is immaterial, as concerning theplacing of the filler plate, whether the plate '26 be arranged with the uppermost or with the groove lower- 'most.

The plate shown inlFi s. 6 and 7 adapted for the separating of or 'inary corn'kernels, is found to be very eiiicient and accurate. The sharply sloping annular wall adjacent the cells causes the seeds to move outward toward the cells and, as the inner walls of the cells are also slightly inclined near their upperedges, the seeds can readily enter.

The space between the inclined wall of the plate, and the vertical wall of the hopper is so narrow that the seeds can not lie therein crosswise but must be turned endwise to enter "the cell. This turning movement is causedby the rotary movement of the plate itself.

Whatlclaim isr w '1. In a seed separating and delivering mechanism for corn planters, theicombination with a base structure, a seed hopper mounted on .the base structure, a relatively thick rotary seed plate with peripheral edgedrop seed'cells operatively mounted in the bottom of the seed hopper, and an invertible plateoperatively mounted beneath the. seed plate and having on'each of its sides an annular surface for closing the bottoms of'the seed plate cells, one of said annular surfaces, when in operation,-being disposed in a plane lower, in relation to the seed plate,

than the other closure surfacewhen it is in operation, of a non-rotary filler plateadapted to be positioned at will above the invertible.

plate, to provide a bottom closure in a relatively high plane for the cells of a relatively thin seed plate, whereby the mecha:

nism is adapted for the separation of corn kernels edgewise, for the separation of corn kernels flatwise and for the separation of spheroidal seeds.

2. Ina seed separatmg and delivering mechanism for corn planters, .the combination with a base structure, a seed hopper mounted on the base structure, a relatively thick rotary seed plate with peripheral seed cells operatively mounted" edge-drop in the bottom of the seed hopper, and an invertible plate operatively mounted beneath theseedplate and having on each of its sides an annular surface for closing the bottoms of the seed plate cells, one, of said annular surfaces/when in' operation, being disposed in a plane lower, in relation to the seed plate, than the other closure surface when it is in operation, of e a nonrotary filler plate adapted to be positioned atwill above the invertible plate, when the latter is in'either of its operative positions, to provide a bottom closure in a relatively high plane for the cells of a relatively thin seed plate, whereby the mechanism adapted for the separation o'fcorn kernels edgewise, for the separation of corn kernels flatwise and for the separation of spheroidal seeds. r 3, In a planter mechanism for separating and delivering maize seeds having awidth greater than their thickness and a length greater than their width and of-ap proximately predetermined size, the' com.-

bination-of a circular wall, a rotary seed a high 'central'part, a low peripheral part and a sharply inclined part connecting the central and peripheral parts, the said. pe-

ripheral part being provided with a circum ferential series of'peripheral seed cells each arranged with its inner side adjacent the said inclined. part and adapted to hold flatwise a single kernel only with its wider faces horizontal and its longest dimension circumferential, and a bottom wall below the seed plate providing a bottom closure for the cell.

plate disposed within said wall and having In testimony whereof, ll affix my signa ture, in presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses: BAILEY W. AVERY,

OsoAn F. Lmvoam,

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